Safety equipment for beds

ABSTRACT

Safety equipment for a bed includes sheeting ( 14 ) arranged to be securable to a mattress ( 12 ) and an inflatable wall structure ( 10 ) secured to the sheeting. The inflatable wall structure is arranged so as to define an upstanding wall which, in use, in an inflated condition, serves as a barrier to someone falling out of bed and as a cushion which protect an occupant of the bed from injuring themselves against the structure of the bed. The wall structure may include lengths arranged to be collapsable along lines transverse to the length to permit the wall to concertina to adopt the profile of a profiling bed.

This invention relates to safety equipment for beds and particularly toinflatable means for protecting the occupants of beds fromself-inflicted injuries during sleep.

The problem of self-inflicted injuries during sleep by persons prone tofitting or other unconscious phenomena is well known. These injuries areusually caused by falling out of bed, becoming stuck within thesurrounding solid structure of the bed or by bodily impact against thesolid structure.

Attempts to prevent such injury have included many variants ofinflatable or padded supports capable of fitting to, or replacing, thesides of the bed or cot so as to better absorb the impact of the bodyagainst the hard structure. An example of this type of support is knownfrom GB2326088A which discloses inflatable tubes, or compartments, whichcan be fitted to a bed to prevent a person from falling out of bed orfrom coming into contact with the solid structure of the bed The tubesare releasably fined to the bed structure by means of ties.

However, in solving one problem, this type of solution could introducean additional difficulty: the bed occupant becoming stuck in the gapdescribed by the interface of the inflatable side support and themattress.

An alternative approach disclosed in GB868320 goes some way to solvingthis problem of preventing the occupant from becoming stuck in theaforementioned gap, by attaching the mattress to the “safety fence” insuch a manner as to eliminate the gap. However, the low sides of thissafety fence are designed solely to prevent the occupant from fallingout of the bed and not from sustaining injury as a result of contactwith nearby solid structure during the course of a fit or other suchuncontrolled body movement.

Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,046 discloses “bumper pads” for fittingto a child's cot with traditional solid surrounds.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a meansfor preventing a person from falling out of bed, from coming intocontact with the solid structure of the bed and from becoming trapped inthe gap between the mattress and said means.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided safetyequipment for a bed including sheeting arranged to be securable to amattress and an inflatable wall structure secured to the casing so as todefine an upstanding wall arranged such that, in use, in an inflatedcondition, the inflatable wall structure serves as a barrier to someonefalling out of bed and as a cushion which protects an occupant of thebed from injuring themselves against the structure of the bed.

The casing for the mattress may be arranged to permit a bedding sheet tobe positively located thereon.

The locating means may comprise slots formed in the casing to enableelongate ties extending from said sheet to be tied around a mattressinserted in the casing.

An additional limitation of the prior art is the restricted number ofsuitable applications. In particular it is unsuitable for fitting toprofiling beds: specially adapted beds in which the mattress-supportingframe is formed of sections which are hinged so as to allow relativepivotal movement between neighbouring sections. In this way, the bed canbe operated so as to raise the occupant to a sitting position.

It is an object of the invention to provide such a bed with safetyequipment which serves as a barrier to someone falling out of bed and asa cushion to protect someone in the bed from injuring themselves as aresult of contact with the structure of the bed.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided safetyequipment for fitting along the sides of a frame of bed which is of thetype in which the frame, which is for supporting a mattress, is formedof sections which are hinged to allow relative pivotal movement betweenthe or each juxtaposed sections about an axis which extends from side toside of the bed, wherein the safety equipment includes lengths ofinflatable wall structure, each such a length being for fitting along arespective side of a section of the frame, and angularly extensible andcontractible coupling means for joining together adjacent ends of eachjuxtaposed pair of such lengths of inflatable wall structure either sideof a hinge between juxtaposed frame sections to form a continuous wallalong the respective side of the bed, the arrangement being such thatthe junction elements either extend or contract as appropriate withrelative pivotal movement between juxtaposed bed frame sections.

The angularly extensible and contractible coupling elements may beinflatable and may be provided with controllable deflation means.

According to a further aspect of this invention there is provided astand alone bed, especially a cot which includes a casing formed ofsheet material which is adapted to receive and enclose a mattress, andinflatable wall structure secured to the casing around its periphery soas to be upstanding from that periphery when inflated whereby, when themattress is inserted into the casing, the inflatable wall structureserves as sides and ends of the bed.

In the further aspect of the present invention, the mattress may be acot mattress.

The invention also includes safety equipment for a hinged bed base, saidequipment comprising at least one inflatable wall structure comprisingat least two sections disposed in end-to-end relationship andinterconnected at adjacent ends thereof by a flexible coupling so as todefine a continuous wall length, wherein said sections are pivotableabout an axis extending transversely of said wall length.

The invention additionally includes safety equipment for a bed, saidequipment comprising an inflatable wall structure secured to sheeting,said wall structure defining an endless wall upstanding from saidsheeting and comprising at least one section which has opposed endsreleasably securable to adjacent portions of said wall structure wherebyto define an opening in said continuous wall.

The invention further includes safety equipment for a bed which includesa frame comprising a plurality of sections arranged for relative pivotalmovement about an axis extending in a widthways direction of the framewhereby said frame can define on undulant mattress supporting surface,said safety equipment comprising at least one inflatable wall structuresecurable to such a bed which wall structure comprises means to permitselective collapsing of said wall structure in a transverse directionthereof, whereby said wall structure can conform to said undulantsurface.

In order that the invention may be well understood, some embodimentsthereof, which are given by way of example only, will now be describedwith reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of safety equipmentaccording to the invention, cut away to show a typical cross-section;

FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of safety equipment according tothe invention, showing a diagrammatic side view of the safety equipmentas fitted to a profiling bed with the bed in the down position;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side view of the safety equipment of FIG. 2with the bed in an inclined position; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an inflatable wall structure of a fourthembodiment of safety equipment according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows safety equipment for a bed which includes a casing 14 andinflatable wall structure 10. The casing 14 is constructed of sheetmaterial and is adapted to receive and enclose a mattress 12. To enhancethe comfort of the occupant, it is preferable that the top surface ofthe casing 14 be of a breathable material. The top surface of the casing14 is provided with locating means for receiving and positively locatinga bedding sheet. The locating means are slots 18 formed in the casing 14to enable elongate ties extending from a bedding sheet to be tied aroundthe mattress in order to secure the bedding sheet in the requiredposition. As an alternative, the top surface of the casing may beprovided with tapes to permit a bedding sheet to be secured to it bymeans of cooperating tapes of the hook and loop-type.

The inflatable wall structure 10 is attached to the periphery of thecasing 14 so as to form a complete protective barrier consisting of fourindividual portions: one for each side and end of the mattress. Eachportion is permanently attached to its two neighbouring portions withthe exception of one side which is releasably attached to itsneighbouring portions by means of hook-and-loop type tabs. As a result,it is possible to detach the aforementioned one side portion of theinflatable wall structure 10 from its neighbours and lower itindependently, thereby facilitating entry and exit of the bed occupant.Alternatively, two side portions of the inflatable wall structure,preferably those extending in the lengthways direction of the bed maylikewise be detachable.

FIG. 2 shows safety equipment 30 for fining to the mattress of aprofiling bed 20. As is known to someone skilled in the art, a profilingbed is constructed of sections that are hinged at 21 and 22 so as toallow relative pivotal movement between each juxtaposed pair of sectionsabout a transverse axis of the bed. The method of attaching the safetyequipment 30 to the mattress 23 is the same as that previously describedwith reference to FIG. 1.

In order to allow for the profiling action of the profiling bed 20, theinflatable wall structure for each side of the bed is divided into threelengths 31, 32 and 33, each such length being fitted along a respectiveside of a section of the bed frame. The adjacent ends of lengths 31 and32, and lengths 32 and 33 each make acute angles α and β respectivelywith the respective section of the bed frame in the case of the lengths31 and 32 the acute angle a is a little less than a right angle, but forthe lengths 32 and 33 the acute angle β is less than a right angle to agreater extent.

Angularly extensible and contractible coupling means 41 and 42 areattached between lengths 31 and 32, and between lengths 32 and 33respectively of the inflatable wall structure These coupling means arearranged such that they extend or contract as appropriate with relativepivotal movement between juxtaposed bed frame sections.

With the profiling bed 20 in the down position of FIG. 2, the firstcoupling means 41 is compressed by the adjacent lengths 31 and 32 towhich it is attached and describes a triangle with a small angle at itsbase. By contrast, the second coupling means 42 is extended by theadjacent lengths 32 and 33 to which it is attached and describes atriangle with a larger angle at its base.

As the bed is altered from the down position of FIG. 2 to the upposition of FIG. 3, the first coupling means 41 is gradually extended soas to describe a triangle with a progressively larger angle at its base,whereas simultaneously the second coupling means 42 is graduallycompressed so as to describe a triangle with a progressively smallertriangle at its base.

This transition is reversed when the profiling bed is reverted back tothe down position of FIG. 1.

In order to offer increased protection to the occupant of the bed whenit is in either the down position of FIG. 2 or the up position of FIG.3, it is envisaged that both the coupling means 41 and 42 are capable ofbeing inflated. For this purpose, the coupling means may be providedwith valves, indicated schematically at 44, to permit selectiveinflation and deflation thereof. Inflating coupling means 42 when thebed is in the down position of FIG. 2 would serve to increase the levelof protection together with the rigidity of the inflatable structure 30.Whereas in the up position of FIG. 3, increased protection and rigiditycould be achieved by inflating coupling means 41.

Instead of being for fitting to a bed, safety equipment shown in FIG. 1can be used as a stand alone cot, the casing 14 being adapted to receiveand enclose a cot mattress 12. The top surface of the casing 14 isprovided with locating means for receiving and positively locating achild's bedding sheet. The locating means are slots 18 formed in thecasing 14 to enable elongate ties extending from the bedding sheet to betied around the cot mattress in order to secure the bedding sheet in therequired position. To further enhance the comfort of the occupant, it ispreferable that the top surface of the casing 14 be of a breathablematerial.

The inflatable wall structure 10 is attached to the periphery of thecasing 14 so as to serve as sides and ends of the cot and to form acomplete protective barrier consisting of four individual portions. Eachportion is attached to its two neighbouring portions by means ofhook-and-loop type tabs. As a result, it is possible to detach oneportion of the inflatable wall structure 10 from its neighbours andlower it independently, thereby facilitating entry and exit of theinfant without completely disassembling the cot wall structure 10.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative inflatable wall structure 50 which is forsafety equipment 52 which can be fined to the mattress of a profilingbed such as the bed 20 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The wall structure 50 comprises three outer tubes 56 disposed one abovethe other and welded together at 58 to define an upstanding length ofwall. The lowermost tube 56 is secured to sheeting 60 which defines acasing for a mattress (not shown).

The outer tubes 56 each have a slit 62 formed at one end thereof topermit the insertion of an inner tube 64. The inner tubes 64 areinflatable by a valve 66 positioned so as to be accessible via therespective slits 62.

In use, the inner tubes 64 are inserted into the respective outer tubes56, preferably in a partially inflated condition. The inner tubes may befully inflated so as to fit tightly within the outer tubes and define anon-collapsable wall when the profiling bed is to be used as shown inFIG. 2. If it is desired to move the profiling bed to the position shownin FIG. 3, the inner tubes are partially deflated. This allows relativemovement between the inner and outer tubes so that the wall structure 50can concertina in response to the pivoting movement of the sections ofthe bed base in much the same way as the wall shown in FIG. 3.

It will be appreciated that the safety equipment 52 would comprise twowall structures 50 disposed in parallel spaced apart relationship andinterconnected by inflatable endwall structures (not shown) to define anendless wall which would surround the occupant of the bed.

To permit access to the valves 66 for inflation/deflation of the innertubes, the wall structures 50 would be releasably securable to theendwalls (for example by ties or hook and loop-type tabs). When releasedfrom the endwalls, the wall structures would be able to pivot about thejoint between the lowermost tube 56 and the sheeting 60 exposing theslits 62 This arrangement also provides a means of forming an opening inthe wall structure to permit the occupant easy access to the bed.

It will be appreciated that the wall structures 50 could be permanentlysecured to the endwalls and the inner tubes inserted into the outertubes via slits extending in the lengthways direction of the tubes. Suchslits would advantageously be closeable by means of, for example, byhook and loop type-tabs and the valve 66 would be suitably positionedalong a side wall of the inner tube.

In another alternative, the outer tubes could contain a plurality ofinner tubes and may be subdivided into respective compartments for theinner tubes.

Although in the embodiments, the inflatable wall structure is shownattached to a casing for a mattress, it is envisaged that the wallscould be attached to a layer of sheeting and secured to a mattress bymeans of straps or the like.

Although in the embodiments the inflatable tubes which make up theinflatable wall structures extend horizontally, it will be appreciatedthat upwardly extending tubes may be utilised instead

What is claimed is:
 1. Safety equipment for a bed including sheetingarranged to be securable to a mattress and an inflatable wall structuresecured to the sheeting and positioned on top of said mattress so as todefine an upstanding wall arranged such that, in use, in an inflatedcondition, the inflatable wall structure serves as a barrier to someonefalling out of the bed and as a cushion which protects an occupant ofthe bed from injuring themselves against the structure of the bed,wherein said inflatable wall structure defines two opposed sidewallswhich in use extend in a lengthways direction of the bed and two opposedendwalls interconnecting said sidewalls, wherein at least one of saidsidewalls and endwalls is releasably securable at its end regions to therespective ones of the endwalls and sidewalls, whereby at least one ofthe sidewalls and endwalls can be released from said respective ones ofthe endwalls and sidewalls and pivoted relative to said casing, whereinsaid sheeting defines a casing for the mattress.
 2. Safety equipment asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said sheeting is arranged to permit abedding sheet to be positively located thereon.
 3. Safety equipment asclaimed in claim 2, wherein said sheeting comprises slots formed thereinto enable elongate ties extending from said bedding sheet to be tiedaround a mattress to which the safety equipment is secured.
 4. Safetyequipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein in said inflated condition, theinflatable wall structure defines a substantially continuous wall whichencloses an area to be occupied by said occupant.
 5. Safety equipment asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said inflatable wall structure is secured toa periphery of said casing.
 6. Safety equipment for a bed includingsheeting arranged to be securable to a mattress and an inflatable wallstructure secured to the sheeting so as to define an upstanding wallarranged such that, in use, in an inflated condition, the inflatablewall structure serves as a barrier to someone falling out of the bed andas a cushion which protects an occupant of the bed from injuringthemselves against the structure of the bed, wherein said inflatablewall structure defines two opposed sidewalls which in use extend in alengthways direction of the bed and two opposed endwalls interconnectingsaid sidewalls, wherein at least one of said sidewalls and endwalls isreleasably securable at its end regions to the respective ones of theendwalls and sidewalls, whereby at least one of the sidewalls andendwalls can be released from said respective ones of the endwalls andsidewalls and pivoted relative to said casing, wherein said inflatablewall structure includes two portions disposed opposite one another suchthat, in use, each extends in a lengthways direction of the bed, eachsaid portion comprising at least two juxtaposed sections interconnectedby a respective flexible coupling member arranged such that each portiondefines a continuous wall length and can pivot about an axis extendingtransverse to the portions and the respective flexible coupling member.7. Safety equipment as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of said flexiblecoupling members is inflatable.
 8. A standalone bed comprising a casingformed of sheet material which is adapted to receive and enclose amattress, and an inflatable wall structure secured to the casing aroundits periphery and positioned on top of said mattress so as to beupstanding from that periphery when inflated, whereby when the mattressis inserted into the casing, the inflatable wall structure serves assides and ends of the standalone bed wherein the inflatable wallstructure that serves as one of a side and end of the bed is releasablysecurable to the inflatable wall structure adjacent thereto, so as to bereleasable from said adjacent inflatable wall structure and pivotedrelative to said casing.
 9. Safety equipment for fitting along the sidesof a frame of bed which is of the type in which the frame, which is forsupporting a mattress, is formed of sections which are hinged to allowrelative pivotal movement between juxtaposed sections about an axiswhich extends from side to side of the bed, wherein the safety equipmentincludes lengths of inflatable wall structure, each such a length ofinflatable wall structure being for fitting along a respective side of asection of the frame, and the safety equipment further includingangularly extensible and contractible coupling structure for joiningtogether adjacent ends of each juxtaposed pair of such lengths ofinflatable wall structure either side of a hinge between juxtaposedframe sections to form a continuous wall along the respective side ofthe bed, the arrangement being such that the angularly extensible andcontractible coupling structure either extend or contract as appropriatewith relative pivotal movement between juxtaposed bed frame sections.10. Safety equipment as claimed in claim 9, wherein said angularlyextensible and contractible coupling structure is inflatable.
 11. Safetyequipment as claimed in claim 9, wherein said angularly extensible andcontractible coupling structure is provided with controllable deflationapparatus.
 12. Safety equipment for a hinged bed base, said safetyequipment comprising at least one inflatable wall structure comprisingat least two sections disposed in end-to-end relationship andinterconnected at adjacent ends thereof by a flexible coupling so as todefine a continuous wall length, wherein said sections are pivotableabout an axis extending transversely of said wall length.
 13. Safetyequipment as claimed in claim 12, comprising two said wall structuresinterconnected by sheeting and disposed in opposed spaced apartrelationship.
 14. Safety equipment as claimed in claim 13, wherein saidsheeting defines an enclosure for a mattress.
 15. Safety equipment asclaimed in claim 12, comprising two said wall structures and twoinflatable end wall structures interconnecting said wall structures todefine a continuous enclosing wall.
 16. Safety equipment as claimed inclaim 15, wherein at least one of said wall structures is releasablysecured to said endwall structures.
 17. Safety equipment as claimed inclaim 12, wherein each said flexible coupling is inflatable.
 18. Safetyequipment as claimed in claim 17, wherein each said flexible coupling isprovided with a valve to permit controlled deflation thereof.
 19. Safetyequipment as claimed in claim 12, wherein each said flexible coupling isa generally V-shaped gusset.